Dissertation
Procedures: Brief
Guidelines (HDIP
Students)
Dr Marta Sant
What is the Dissertation?

All HDIP students are required to submit a
dissertation with the work value of 12 ECTS
◦ significantly more than any other course in the
undergraduate psychology programme.
The dissertation is an empirical study of a
psychological nature (10,000 words)
 The Dissertation is to be submitted in
September 2016 (exact deadline to be
confirmed)
 Dissertations are co-ordinated and regulated
by a Committee appointed by and responsible
to the Department of Psychology.

The Dissertation: Aims &
Objectives
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The aim of the dissertation is to provide students
with a learning experience in undertaking
empirical research in a psychological area of
inquiry.
The principal objective of the dissertation is to
teach students the skills and competencies
required to negotiate the entire research
process, from the study of literature, to
formulating a research proposal and satisfying
ethical requirements, to the gathering and
analysis of data, and finally to the writing up
and submission of a research report.
Students are expected to be active learners and to
find ways to sustain their own learning throughout
this project.
The Dissertation: Basic Structure

Dissertations are divided into chapters
that
◦ review the literature in which the study
and the research question are located
◦ the methodology that has been adopted
by the student to furnish an answer to the
research question
◦ a result section that presents the findings
◦ a discussion of the findings in light of the
research question and the literature
reviewed
◦ an introductory and concluding section.
The Dissertation Process: 3
Basic Steps
The Research Proposal
1.
•
to be completed and submitted in the first
semester Deadline: Monday 16th
November 2015
The UREC ethics form
2.
•
to be completed and submitted once the
Research Proposal has been assessed and
accepted by the Dissertations Committee
Submitting your dissertation
3.
•
to be submitted in September 2016
(exact submission date to be confirmed)
Stage 1: Research Proposal
Brief description of the area you are
interested to research
 Your preferred methodology
 Area of psychology in which you would
like to further your interest
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Social psychology
Clinical psychology
Counselling psychology
Educational psychology
Neuropsychology
Forensic psychology
Then identify a topic of research that you
would like to study in your preferred area
Stage 1: Research Proposal
 Familiarise
yourself with key
literature that will enable you to ask
good empirical questions for
psychological research
 You would need to access articles on
Hydi and other relevant textbooks in
order to inform your understanding
and knowledge
 Have a look at other dissertations
(available via the UoM online library)
for ideas
Stage 1: Research Proposal –
Finding a Supervisor
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You need to have solicited the services of
a research supervisor
Ideally try and find a supervisor whose
experience and background is related to
your topic of study
You are first advised to approach full-time
members of the Psychology Department
to request supervision
Then you may approach part-timers
If you would like to approach anyone who
is not included on the list, you are required
to have this person authorised by the
Dissertations Board
Stage 1: Research Proposal –
Finding a Supervisor

Dissertation Supervisor List & Procedures
2015
 It
is important to secure a research
supervisor as soon as possible
◦ leaving it to the last minute might
mean they you will have difficulties
securing a research supervisor of
your choice, as s/he may have
taken on other students
The Research Supervisory Relationship
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Supervision is aimed towards assisting students learn about the
process of undertaking research
Your relationship with your supervisor will undoubtedly prove an
important part of your learning experience
Your supervisor should be able to guide you into learning more
about your area as well as how to conduct research into your
area of interest
It is worth making sure that your supervisor is in a position to
supervise your project, both in terms of expertise and in terms of
resources
You should not expect your supervisor to provide any resources
Supervisors’ expertise is not a substitute for reading and
conducting a thorough literature review, although supervisors
may well guide students as to what literature is noteworthy in
their chosen area
The undertaking of a dissertation remains the student’s
sole responsibility
Stage 1: Research Proposal – Completing
the BPSY Dissertation Proposal Form
 Once you have found a supervisor, you
will proceed to writing your research
proposal
 Your supervisor’s guidance is crucial at
this stage and therefore you should meet
regularly
 You are required to complete and submit
the BPSY Dissertation Proposal Form and
the Ethical Awareness Form (Deadline:
Monday 16th November 2015)
◦ http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/00
12/219000/Dissertation_proposal.pdf
◦ http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/00
09/218997/Ethical_awraness_form.pdf
Stage 1: Research Proposal – Completing
the BPSY Dissertation Proposal Form
Proposals need to be reviewed by
supervisors, who will provide students with
relevant feedback
 Upon submission, proposals require the
signed endorsement of supervisors, which
indicates to the Dissertations Committee
that the supervisor has reviewed the
proposed study and approved the
procedure outlined for its execution in the
proposal.

Guidelines for writing a good
proposal
◦ Ideas need to follow a logical and clear
sequence
◦ Tone should display an impartial scientific
attitude
◦ Be aware of your own preconceived notions
about an issue and be mindful of your biases
◦ Clearly defined aims of the study
◦ Clear research question
◦ Clear rationale for this study – why is this study
important and why are you undertaking it?
◦ Brief mention of knowledge of previous
literature in the area (this is why you need to
access relevant literature in order to inform
your understanding of your chosen area)
Guidelines for writing a good
proposal
◦ State the methodology you are using.
 The methodology needs to complement the
research question
 (e.g. avoid trying to apply a qualitative methodology to
a research question that requires a quantitative
methodology)
◦ Rationale for chosen methodology
◦ State how you will recruit participants and if
you intend recruiting them from an institution
then which one
◦ State number of participants, their age range,
gender, characteristics
◦ State how you will elicit your data (e.g.
questionnaires, interview guides)
◦ State how you will analyse the data
◦ Attention to grammar and spelling
Be realistic...

You essentially have under a year to
plan a project
◦ therefore be mindful of time limitations
 e.g. A qualitative research interviewing 50
participants is not feasible
 e.g. Collecting 1000 questionnaires

Your research should be feasible and
manageable
Ethical Considerations

As undergraduate students, you should not
engage in research that is highly sensitive or
that requires the recruitment of vulnerable
participants
◦ e.g. Exploring the impact of sexual abuse
◦ e.g. Mothers’ experiences of child suicide
◦ e.g. Prisoners’ perspectives of incarceration

At undergraduate level, the Psychology
Department does not teach students the
skills and competencies of psychotherapy
◦ Therefore research with vulnerable populations
(such as individuals in therapy, or research
concerning past abuse) is strongly discouraged.

Research must be ethical and not in violation
of any ethical standards of good practice in
psychological research.
Therefore...
1.
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Decide on an area of study and attempt to formulate a
research agenda and research approach
Identify a potential supervisor from the full time members
on the list
Make an appointment and meet with that member of
staff
If any member of staff is unable to take you on, discuss
this with the full time expert in the area and identify an
alternative from the part-time potential tutors on the list
Secure a commitment of supervision and together with
the supervisor, complete the Research Proposal Form
and Ethical Awareness Form
Submit these forms to the Psychology Office Room
(Deadline: Monday 16th November 2015)
Proposal Submission

Submitting your proposal
◦ Supervisor’s signature must be present
on the Research Proposal Form and
Ethical Awareness Form in order to
ensure that that s/he is aware of and in
agreement with what you have stated on
your proposal
◦ Please ensure that you have
photocopied these forms (including
your supervisor’s signature) for your
personal records prior to submission
The Dissertations Board
◦ The Research Proposal Forms and the
Ethical Awareness Forms will be reviewed by
the members of the Dissertations Board
◦ After all proposals are viewed by the
Dissertations Board, they will be marked
accordingly and returned to students
◦ The Board will advise on subsequent course
of action
◦ The Board will provide reasons for its
decisions at all times and will instruct on
further action that needs to be taken by the
student
The Dissertations Board:
Outcome

Students whose Research Proposal Forms have
been marked (1) Accepted but resubmit with
amendments or (2) rejected need to resubmit their
proposals with the required changes
◦ In this case, your supervisor will guide you to make
the advised changes and needs to sign the revised
proposal to show that s/he is in agreement with and
aware of the changes made
◦ Then you must resubmit your original proposal,
together with the revised proposal, clearly
highlighting the changes made.
◦ Your re-submitted proposal will be reviewed by the
Board and you will be informed of the outcome
◦ PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU HAVE COPIES OF
EVERYTHING PRIOR TO RESUBMISSION
Please note that...
If you decide to make any changes
after your proposal has been
accepted, please inform the Chair of
the Dissertation committee
(marta.sant@um.edu.mt) as soon as
possible. You might be required to resubmit your proposal if changes made
are significant.
 No change will be allowed in the
proposed topic of the dissertation
after February 2016.
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The Dissertations Board:
Outcome
Upon approval, the Dissertations Committee
will indicate whether the study also requires
University Research Ethics Committee
ethical clearance. Students will be able to
fully embark on their projects once they
gather all necessary approvals.
 Qualitative research studies will be required
to apply for UREC ethical clearance
 Quantitative studies in which participants
may be identified or which explore sensitive
topics will also require UREC ethical
clearance.

Ethical Clearance for Research from the
University Research Ethics Committee

The Dissertations Board will indicate
whether a student is required to submit
an ethics form to the Faculty Research
Ethics Board (FREC)
◦ N.B. THIS IS NOT THE SAME AS THE
ETHICAL AWARENESS FORM

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FREC is an independent committee and
not related to the Dissertations Board
If you are required to submit an ethics
form to FREC you will need to go
through the FREC procedure
Ethical Clearance for Research from the
University Research Ethics Committee

Students are required to submit an
ethics form to the Faculty Research
Ethics Board (FREC) in the first
instance, and thereafter from the
University Research Ethics Committee
(UREC).
Therefore
You need to access and read the following
document carefully:
1. Guidelines for UoM Research Ethics
Committee
◦
http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/
0008/53396/ethicsguidelines.pdf
Then you are required to read the following
form carefully and complete it
1. Proposal Form for Ethical Clearance for
Research from the University Research
Ethics Committee
◦ http://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0
004/108670/proposalformlatest.pdf
Proposal Form for Ethical Clearance for
Research from the University Research Ethics
Committee
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Ensure that you have included all the required information.
It is advisable to discuss this with your supervisor in detail
Your supervisor is required to sign all supporting documents e.g.
Consent forms, interview schedule, information sheets etc
If you are recruiting participants through an agency or NGO, a
consent form signed by the agency is required
Information sheets, interview schedules, consent forms and
questionnaires are required to be presented in Maltese and
English
You need to demonstrate that you are sensitive to the possibility
of coercion during the recruiting of participants and that you will
do everything in your power to avoid it at all costs
Important:
 You
must not collect any data
until you have received
UNCONDTIONAL ETHICAL
APPROVAL from UREC.
 You are required to provide your
supervisor with written evidence
from FREC/UREC confirming
that you have received
unconditional ethical approval
prior to collecting any data
Documentation

All relevant documentation can be found
on the Department of Psychology’s
homepage, by clicking on ‘Documents
Related to the Dissertation’.
◦ http://www.um.edu.mt/socialwellbeing/psycho
logy/notices/documents_related_to_the_diss
ertation

It is your responsibility to access the
documents and read them carefully.
Plagiarism

Please note that cases of suspected
plagiarism and other intellectual
dishonesty will be immediately
referred to the Rector’s office as
dictated by regulations governed by
disciplinary action.
Finally...
Any information or queries regarding the
dissertation procedures can be addressed
by appointment with Dr Marta Sant or via
email marta.sant@um.edu.mt
 Queries regarding content and format need
to be addressed to your supervisors.
 Please always include and use your
UNIVERSITY email address when
completing any dissertation-related
documentation and when you are liaising
with supervisors or other members of staff

Acknowledgements
Prof Marilyn Clark
 Dr Gordon Sammut
